Working with Children, Adolescents, and Families Working with kids and their parents has been a significant part of my practice. As a child psychologist, I have spent a great deal of time with children and parents who are attempting to understand and remove the factors which interfere with progressive maturation. I often think of myself as a guide on a white-water rafting trip. While I have been down the river many times, the rough water may present itself at different points and with different velocities each time. Thus, I view each new child and his/her family as unique, requiring me to adapt myself to their own special set of circumstances. I have seen kids who are experiencing problems adjusting to significant changes (ie. medical illness, death of a family member or friend; moving to a new area or attending a new school) as well as those who are experiencing attention or learning problems, depression, or anxiety. Very often, children's problems may present as academic or behavioral difficulties. School underachievement or failure as well as oppositional/defiant behavior may signal a conflict that at present has no other way to express itself. My job is to help remove the obstacles that prevent these conflicts from being put into words. Talking goes a long way in preventing doing-that is, taking actions that are not constructive. By the time children and parents consult with me, they may have already built up an accumulation of negative feelings toward each other which further blocks communication. Finding ways to unblock communication channels and dilute the effects of intense negative emotion is often a major part of my work. Copyright © 2001 Steven Korner PH.D, Licensed Psychologist. All Rights Reserved.